Online Peer Support Groups

Do you want to talk to others who are in a similar position to you? Are you looking for advice, support and information from people who have been free from gambling for many years? Why not try our online peer support groups for text based "real time" group support from others who have been where you are run by one of our trained and knowledgeable facilitators?

We have support groups running at various times of the day over a seven day period. When registering on the website you don't have to use your real name if you prefer not to, in fact we recommend you don't! Most groups are facilitated by a member of the Gambling Therapy Team with the exception of the Open Groups.

The groups are available to anyone residing outside Great Britain with a gambling problem or those affected by gambling through someone close to them. We also support individuals with a connection to the Gordon Moody Association residential treatement centres via our groups.

There are eleven types of group:

New Members Practical Advice: This group is for people who are new to the site, new to recovery, or both! You will find emotional support and practical tips in this group but most importantly you’ll receive a warm welcome from us. If you've been using the site for a while, feel free to drop in to support those that are new to recovery. You can access the group at any time whilst it's running.

Drop in - All Members Welcome : These are one or two hour groups open to everyone who wants to chat with a member of the Gambling Therapy Team or peers. You can enter at any time whilst the group is running and talk about recovery or other, more general, issues you’re facing as a result of the effects of gambling.

Problem Gamblers Peer Support: These groups will ALWAYS be run by someone who has personal experience of overcoming problem gambling. Problem gamblers can offload in these groups and be as frank as they like knowing the people they are with have been there too. You can access the group at any time whilst it's running.

Problem Gamblers Therapy Group: Our therapy groups for problem gamblers are run by qualified counsellors with experience of working with problem gamblers. If you’re ready to look at the emotional cost of gambling and maybe even some of the reasons you feel you developed the problem, this group is for you! You will only be able to enter this group for the first fifteen minutes of it's run time, it will then close to new entrants to ensure emotional issues can be discussed without interuption.

Friends & Family Peer Support: These popular groups are ALWAYS run by someone who has personal experience of supporting a problem gambler. If someone you care about is a problem gambler you can offload in these groups and be as honest as you like knowing the people you’re with have been there too. You can access the group at any time whilst it's running.

Friends & Family Therapy Group: The therapy groups for friends and family are run by qualified counsellors with experience of working with the friends and families of problem gamblers. If you want to talk about the emotional impact of being involved with a problem gambler, or focus on how to feel better about YOU, you can do that here. You will only be able to enter this group for the first fifteen minutes of it's run time, it will then close to new entrants to ensure emotional issues can be discussed without interuption.

Community Therapy Group–The community therapy group is open to anyone using the Gambling Therapy website. It’s run by a trained counsellor with experience of working with problem gamblers and their friends and family. If you want to look at the why’s or how’s of your situation, this would be a good and a safe place to start. You will only be able to enter this group for the first fifteen minutes of it's run time, it will then close to new entrants to ensure emotional issues can be discussed without interuption.

Topic Groups – Topic groups are structured discussions around a specific theme advertised in the topic forum beforehand. These are a great way of focussing on specific aspects of recovery and talking them over with people who understand. You will only be able to enter this group for the first fifteen minutes of it's run time, it will then close to new entrants to ensure emotional issues can be discussed without interuption.

Ex residents of GMA Outreach Group : The ex residents outreach group is run by a member of staff from the Gordon Moody Residential Treatement team. This group is for youif you've undergone residential treatement in one of the Gordon Moody Residential Treatement Centres to talk about what you've learnt during your time there and explore any challenges your new life holds. You will only be able to enter this group for the first fifteen minutes of it's run time, it will then close to new entrants to ensure emotional issues can be discussed without interuption.

Family members of GMA residents Drop in support: These groups take place once a month and they offer support and information to the friends and families of people in the residential programme. If someone you care about is in the GMA programme and you want to talk about the impact on you, or learn more about the kind of things they will be learning, please come along. You can access the group at any time whilst it's running.

Open Group : These groups are open to all, you can enter at any time and talk to your peers. As the name suggests, there are no members of the Gambling Therapy Team in these groups so feel free to talk about anything you like but always remember to follow our T’s and C’s and respect your friends on the site.

The groups are an excellent way to give and receive support and a safe place to explore any issues you're facing. We look forward to meeting you!

Details of our online peer support groups from problem gamblers and their friends and families